sigelphoenix (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sigelphoenix) wrote2006-09-25 03:25 pm
sigelphoenix) wrote2006-09-25 03:25 pm
Entry tags:
OMG SQUEE
Okay, it's been several hours since the show, so I can come up with something more coherent than, "WICKED AHHHH WICKED AHHHH!!" :P
But yes ... I saw Wicked last night at the Paramount Theatre (a very pretty building) with![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-userinfo.gif)
ratzeo, shadawyn, and irishninja. And it was fabulous.
Like always, I couldn't keep from comparing the cast to the original soundtrack (kind of hard not to when you know it by heart), but even then they blew me away. Part of the reason is probably because this is the first U.S. national tour and the starring actresses have been in the Broadway cast - Shoshana Bean was the actress who first replaced Idina Menzel as Elphaba, and Megan Hilty was the third Glinda. And those two were definitely Broadway caliber. Shoshana Bean couldn't be Idina Menzel, but she didn't try to be; still, she had all the same energy and passion and desperation that Elphaba needs. And Megan Hilty was hilarious and adorable as Glinda. I had no idea I would enjoy the character this much - the soundtrack cuts out a lot of her humor, since it's mostly in dialogue. But she was great, cutesy but in a funny way, and with a voice with a fantastic range (which included a "growl" setting XD).
The Fiyero was also great - Sebastian Arcelus, who, incidentally, has also played Roger in RENT. I could see definitely see that.
Also awesome was the crowd - insanely enthusiastic, clapping and cheering when certain characters made their first appearance, but also aware of when to quiet down and let the show continue. Maybe it's because the show is so new and this is the first national tour? But it definitely contributed to the energy of the entire thing.
I'm really glad I got to see it live - as you probably know, the soundtrack omits a lot of scenes in order to preserve the surprises of the plot. Most of the cut stuff is just dialogue, but there's also some music, and it was great to see it all performed.
I should go to more live musicals. They always leave me with such a high. XD
The only bad things of the evening: Shoshana Bean's microphone wasn't on for the first several lines of "One Short Day." :/ Outside of the show itself, we had to speed through our dinner, which was at a very good Thai place, in order to make the show on time. Also, my shoes gave me blisters. >_<
Speaking of Wicked -rivendellrose or nekokoban, does one of you have my copy of the book? I lent it to your household last summer for one or both of you to read, but I keep forgetting to get it back.
Also, this is kind of random, but worth noting: after the show, we wandered around Barnes & Noble to kill time while the line for parking validation went down. I had worn a red qipao for the show, and a man commented to me that it was pretty. And it was ... nice. A polite compliment that wasn't at all invasive or creepy. He just said, "That's a very pretty dress," and then I looked at him and he met my eyes and smiled. That's all. No leering, no smirking, no sense of entitlement to anything just because he said something nice to me.
It was just a great example of how easy it is to give a nice compliment in a non-sexist, non-privileged way. So if anyone tries to say that it's hard to compliment a woman without it being mistaken for harassment: it's not. Even this crazy man-hating feminazi didn't misread it. XD;;
But yes ... I saw Wicked last night at the Paramount Theatre (a very pretty building) with
ratzeo, shadawyn, and irishninja. And it was fabulous.Like always, I couldn't keep from comparing the cast to the original soundtrack (kind of hard not to when you know it by heart), but even then they blew me away. Part of the reason is probably because this is the first U.S. national tour and the starring actresses have been in the Broadway cast - Shoshana Bean was the actress who first replaced Idina Menzel as Elphaba, and Megan Hilty was the third Glinda. And those two were definitely Broadway caliber. Shoshana Bean couldn't be Idina Menzel, but she didn't try to be; still, she had all the same energy and passion and desperation that Elphaba needs. And Megan Hilty was hilarious and adorable as Glinda. I had no idea I would enjoy the character this much - the soundtrack cuts out a lot of her humor, since it's mostly in dialogue. But she was great, cutesy but in a funny way, and with a voice with a fantastic range (which included a "growl" setting XD).
The Fiyero was also great - Sebastian Arcelus, who, incidentally, has also played Roger in RENT. I could see definitely see that.
Also awesome was the crowd - insanely enthusiastic, clapping and cheering when certain characters made their first appearance, but also aware of when to quiet down and let the show continue. Maybe it's because the show is so new and this is the first national tour? But it definitely contributed to the energy of the entire thing.
I'm really glad I got to see it live - as you probably know, the soundtrack omits a lot of scenes in order to preserve the surprises of the plot. Most of the cut stuff is just dialogue, but there's also some music, and it was great to see it all performed.
I should go to more live musicals. They always leave me with such a high. XD
The only bad things of the evening: Shoshana Bean's microphone wasn't on for the first several lines of "One Short Day." :/ Outside of the show itself, we had to speed through our dinner, which was at a very good Thai place, in order to make the show on time. Also, my shoes gave me blisters. >_<
Speaking of Wicked -
rivendellrose or nekokoban, does one of you have my copy of the book? I lent it to your household last summer for one or both of you to read, but I keep forgetting to get it back.Also, this is kind of random, but worth noting: after the show, we wandered around Barnes & Noble to kill time while the line for parking validation went down. I had worn a red qipao for the show, and a man commented to me that it was pretty. And it was ... nice. A polite compliment that wasn't at all invasive or creepy. He just said, "That's a very pretty dress," and then I looked at him and he met my eyes and smiled. That's all. No leering, no smirking, no sense of entitlement to anything just because he said something nice to me.
It was just a great example of how easy it is to give a nice compliment in a non-sexist, non-privileged way. So if anyone tries to say that it's hard to compliment a woman without it being mistaken for harassment: it's not. Even this crazy man-hating feminazi didn't misread it. XD;;